Huang never took his eyes off the Zhenmushou as they passed beneath its shadow. He grinned broadly until he noticed the four excavated graves beneath the statue’s base. The grin dropped away.
“I would ask why you chose to disturb my ancestors’ remains, but the answer would have little meaning.” He looked at Daniel, his eyes as dark and hard as the paved stone beneath their feet.
Jack kept up the pace with Sam at his side. They had at least another ten minute hike ahead of them and by Daniel’s watch, that left them less than four hours to open the chamber, retrieve the crystal, and gate back to the waiting F-302s to go back to Antarctica.
Daniel glanced at Huang. “If your ancestors were originally from Earth, how did you get back there, by ship?”
“Through the Chappa’ai, of course.” The old man gazed again at the statue. “The one in Antarctica. It was long ago, fifty years in fact. I fought past many Serpent Guards to reach it — they fought bravely, their marksmanship superlative. Particularly one, I remember — a tall, dark powerful Jaffa. I escaped, following two others to your land.”
“Tall and dark, you say?” commented Jack. “Carter, sound like anyone we know?”
“I doubt it, sir. If Teal’c knew about the Antarctic gate, wouldn’t he have told us when he joined SG-1?” Sam looked at Huang over her shoulder. “A few years ago, we found two Jaffa frozen in the ice by the gate. We’d always assumed they’d been there for two, maybe three hundred years.”
Huang’s eyes took on a distant look. “Ice and snow can age a man in ways you cannot understand.”
“And from Antarctica to China?” Daniel asked.
“At first, I was guided by a strange light. Golden-white.”
“Daniel, could that’ve been Skaara?”
“Possibly.” Though Skaara had never really explained how he’d managed to skip back and forth in time, it certainly sounded like him.
“Friend or foe, I cannot say.”
Sam slowed down to match Huang’s pace. “There wasn’t anyone else down in Antarctica fifty years ago. How did you survive?”
“Seal meat.”
“Okay, that’s just gross.” Jack shook his head. “Those creatures deserved better.”
“I am not proud of what I did, O’Neill. I did it to survive.”
“Still doesn’t explain how the hell you got out of there.”
“Sir Edmund Hilary found me.” Huang went on to detail how he’d met the explorer. He had just begun to share how he rose through the ranks during China’s Cultural Revolution when they arrived at the chamber. He froze. “I cannot. It is bù zhǔn xǔ.”
“You’re going in,” said Jack. “Whether you like it or not.” He pointed at the transporter rings. “Keep a good five feet away. Daniel, if you don’t mind?”
Approaching the wall, Daniel took in the intricately carved stone surface covered in Chinese pictograms and Ancient glyphs. A circle with a dash in the middle represented the sun. Beside it, a half circle with a vertical line meant the moon. Three apexes crowded together upside down — like a series of mountains.
“Kunlun,” whispered Huang. “Behind those walls lies death.”
“Not according to our mutual friend,” Jack said.
Daniel found the crack running down the wall’s midsection. He tried pushing on either side, but the doors wouldn’t give.
Sam took a turn with no luck. “Sir, I’m willing to bet the door is keyed to the ATA gene.”
Jack motioned for Huang to join him at the wall.
Wild-eyed, the old man backed away. “No, no!”
“You can,” Jack said, stomping toward him, “and you’re gonna. Think of it this way. Yu would want you to save Earth, wouldn’t he? That overdressed snake likes Earth.”
“I cannot.” Huang trembled so violently that Daniel became worried that he might have a heart attack.
Then he remembered the item in his pack. “Wait a minute.” Opening it, he pulled out the three-pronged bronze wine vessel unearthed near the chamber just a year ago.
“I have something to show you. Something that I’m pretty sure comes from Earth, but… Well, take a look.”
Huang’s shaking subsided, but he still didn’t move.
Holding the cup by its fluted bowl, Daniel showed it to him. “We found it right over there,” he pointed toward the dig area. “There’s writing inside. Xian. That’s one of China’s dynasties, from before — ”
“It is the language we are first taught as children.” Huang choked back a half-sob and took the cup. “You found this here?”
“Daniel…”
“Jack, give him a moment. It’s a lot to take in.”
Huang traced the long thin lines with his forefinger.
“Do you know what it says?”
“It is a hero’s cup. It says…” Huang’s lip quivered. “It is a quote of Sun Tzu. From before The Art of War.” He dropped the cup to his side, his shoulders shaking. “It says, ‘Great is the hero who would die for their country, but would much rather live.’”
Huang dropped to his knees and held out the cup.
“You keep it.” Daniel waved him off. He re-zipped his pack and joined Jack by the wall. “He’ll cooperate. Just go easy.”
Jack tilted his head back, looking up toward the Ancient writing at the top of the wall. “Nice quote, by the way.”
“Sun Tzu at his finest.”
“If you say so.” Jack slapped the wall. “How about we get this thing open? Then maybe everyone can get back to living.” He turned toward Huang. “What the hell?”
The old man, still kneeling on the ground, lowered a dirt-covered finger. Smeared on his forehead was a roughly drawn replica of Lord Yu’s sigil.
“I am ready.” Huang stood up.
“I don’t think so,” Jack replied.
“You do not approve of my wénshēn?”
“Not really.”
“Then I pity you.” Huang strode to the wall, his step lighter, a faint smile on his lips.
In a sense, Daniel mused, the old man had re-found his purpose.
Sam checked her watch. “Oh-five-hundred outpost time, sir.”
Jack stared at Huang. “How much time does that leave us?”
“Three hours to get to the gate and make our window.”
“Jack, just…” Daniel stepped up to his other side and whispered, “Whatever it takes, right? We need to get this chamber open, get the crystal, and — ”
“I know what we need to do, Daniel. Thank you.” He rubbed his palms together and then raised them in front of the wall. “You ready, Huang?”
The old man bowed. “I have always been, O’Neill. Are you?”
“On the count of three then.” Jack gave the countdown.
The two men pressed their palms against the wall.
A low rumble. Dirt showered down.
And then, the wall opened.
ANCIENT OUTPOST, ANTARCTICA
19 AUG 04/0530 HRS MCMURDO STATION
19 AUG 04/1230 HRS STARGATE COMMAND
Paul Davis found General Hammond by the archway, staring at the stasis unit. “Sir, there’s no reason you need to stay. When Gerling gets back from McMurdo, she could take — ”
“Major, as much as I appreciate your concern, I’m staying.” Hammond raised a hand over the stasis controls. “I think you’ll find Dr. Lee determined to see this out as well.”
“Yes, sir.” He wasn’t surprised.
“These Ancients,” the general dropped his hand to his side, “the technologies they built. Takes a pretty wild imagination to come up with ways to reform a planet, keep a man frozen in time.”
“Don’t forget the Stargate, sir.”
Hammond chuckled. “How could I?”
They walked back into the weapons chair room. Dr. Lee was tinkering with one of the Mark IIs. Low murmurs came from the hole — Teal’c and Ambassador Zhu. Paul followed Hammond over to the ladder. Down below, Teal’c cradled Weiyan’s
head in his lap. The ambassador sat beside him, stroking her daughter’s hair. An IV bag ran to the young woman’s pale arm, hopefully providing her some small measure of pain relief.
All because of the Ancients and their wild imaginations.
For a moment, Paul wondered if it had all been worth it.
“How’s she doing, Teal’c?” Hammond whispered.
He looked up. “She is sleeping, General Hammond. The fight to live remains strong. Any word from O’Neill and the others?”
“They’ve gated to P3Y-702,” Hammond replied. “No other word yet, but we’re hopeful they’ll meet with success.”
Teal’c laid his hand back down on the blanket. “Skaara assured us they will succeed. Have faith, General Hammond.”
“Ambassador Zhu, is there anything we can do?”
“Nothing.” The ambassador managed a brief smile. The effort lasted less than a second.
Hammond headed for the rear of the platform. Paul followed him and they sank down on the one edge still connected to the main section of floor.
“Paul, I meant what I said earlier.” Hammond turned toward him. “We get through this and it’s time for a promotion. More than time. Put in the paperwork, son. You’ve earned it.”
Another rumble ran through the room. Paul glanced over at Lee. The scientist squinted at his monitor, ignoring the sound. The tremors died off.
“If we get through this,” Paul said.
“Sure,” the general said. “Think of it as a reprieve. No more trips to the frozen south. No more last minute dashes to Colorado Springs. Just a warm desk in D.C. at Homeworld Security.” He shrugged. “Of course, it snows in Washington, too, but not always.”
“Sir,” Paul swept a stray chunk of ice off the weapons platform. “What if I didn’t take a promotion? I know the Air Force requires promotion or retirement by a certain point.”
“Homeworld Security’s a special situation.” General Hammond shrugged. “Don’t you want the promotion?”
“What about the SGC, sir?”
“We can find another liaison, Lt. Colonel Paul Davis.”
Another liaison. “Has a nice ring, sir.”
“General Hammond!” Gerling ran in, her parka dusted with snow. “I’ve brought provisions from McMurdo, sir. Not much, but some coffee, water, some Power Bars to eat.”
“Let’s get some coffee for the ambassador and some water for Teal’c. They must be hungry, too.”
“Yes, sir.” She unzipped her parka and pulled out a folded-up piece of paper. “McMurdo’s latest casualty reports. I thought you might want to see them.”
Hammond unfolded the report. As he scanned it, his face stilled. He handed the paper to Paul and closed his eyes.
Paul held off reading it. “Bad, sir?”
The general stood up. “Bad enough. Dr. Lee? Care to join me for some well-earned, though probably terrible, coffee?”
Lee raised his head from the monitor. “Did I hear something about food?”
“Power Bars, if you’ll have them.” Hammond strode out, tailed closely by Dr. Lee and Lt. Gerling.
Paul read the report. Ten more deaths. All civilians. Building 155 had collapsed, but not before a few people had managed to chase everyone out of the facility. He scanned the list of names, not recognizing any until the last one.
He rose to his feet, not looking forward to sharing the name with Teal’c. Crossing over the plank, he looked down into the hole. Eyes rolled back, sweat dripping from her forehead, Weiyan turned her head back and forth.
“Ni shi shui?” she mumbled. “Wo meng?”
“What is she saying?” Paul asked.
Weiyan’s mother wiped her eyes with her parka sleeve. “She says, ‘Who are you? Am I dreaming?’”
“Wo jiang xie zia wo bao fu.”
“I will release my burdens,” Zhu translated. Her hand grabbed Teal’c’s arm. “What does that mean? She is an innocent. What burdens could she possibly need to release?”
“You must ask her.” Teal’c gently raised Weiyan’s head and shifted over, allowing Zhu to take his position. “You are her mother. Tell her she is free to move on.” He stood up. “Then, allow her to do so.”
Zhu’s eyes widened. “You are leaving?”
“Do not regret these moments, Ambassador Zhu.” He began climbing the ladder. “I will not be far.”
“Wo jiang xie zia wo bao fu,” Weiyan whispered. “Wo jiang bu hai pa.”
Zhu bent over her daughter and broke into sobs. Paul’s throat constricted at the sight of a mother saying goodbye to her child. He backed off the plank, giving them more privacy.
Teal’c joined him by the back wall, purple bruises under his eyes told Paul all he needed to know. He hesitated, unsure if he should share the report from McMurdo. Weiyan had spoken about releasing her burdens. Telling Teal’c would just add to his, no doubt.
“You have something to tell me, Major Davis.” Not a question, just a fact. Teal’c was like that. He could see the truth in anything.
Paul held up the report. “Another building collapsed at McMurdo. The personnel director, Hannah Presley… She died, Teal’c. Trying to save everyone else. I’m sorry. I know you two got along well.”
“I see.” He crossed the back of the weapons chair and climbed onto its platform, his back to Paul. “Her red-leaf tea…” He gripped the chair’s headrest. “Major Davis, I believe I have a confession to make.”
“A confession? What could you possibly need to confess?”
“I believe my actions many years ago have brought this disaster to pass.”
Taken aback, Paul stepped around the chair to face Teal’c. “How could you have anything to do with — ”
“Many years ago, while a lieutenant in Apophis’s ranks, I, along with many others, escorted three Serpent Guards who had been tasked with a secret gate address. An address I was not permitted to know.”
“What’s that got to do with anything?”
The ground rumbled. Not as bad as before, but it served as a reminder that time was running out. Paul glanced at his watch. “Six more hours until sunrise.”
“Major Davis, I believe that I witnessed Huang escape through the Stargate to Earth.” Teal’c went on to describe how two men, disguised as Serpent Guards, attacked the Jaffa. One made it through. The other died.
Paul was stunned. It was a lot to take in. The idea that Teal’c might have known about the Antarctic Stargate from the start being just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
Listening to the murmured sounds of a mother soothing her dying daughter, Paul surveyed the damage done to the outpost. It would take weeks for the Army Engineers to shore everything back up.
But it wouldn’t bring back the dead. Or make it easier on the dying.
“Did you get a look at the body?” he asked Teal’c. “Or the Jaffa who got through?”
Teal’c frowned. “I did not.”
“Was that the only time Apophis sent troops through to try and reach Earth?”
“No. Apophis made many attempts over the years. He did so for several planets, Earth was only one.”
Paul scratched his chin. “And that was the only time enemy Jaffa infiltrated the Serpent Guard?”
“Bie li wo. Bie li.”
Whispered shushes emanated from the hole, followed soon after by humming. Paul listened for a moment, unable to make out the song. It was soothing. Quiet. A simple melody. He supposed it must be some sort of Chinese lullaby.
“Infiltrations were frequent.” Teal’c let go of the chair. “Ra, Heru’er, Cronus. They all sent spies. Try to — ”
“So you don’t know,” Paul said. “Look, Teal’c, you can’t blame yourself for everything. That’s not how it works.”
“O’Neill would say as much.” Teal’c bent his head. “Master Bra’tac would also agree.”
“I’m with Master Bra’tac,” Paul said, “and General O’Neill, of course.”
Ambassador Zhu continued humming. The t
une changed, a speedier tempo with almost a playful quality.
The corner of Teal’c’s mouth tugged up in a faint smile. “When I was very young, my father told me the burden of wrongful blame was a falsehood to oneself. One that places distance between what we believe to be true and who we really are, setting our soul adrift from its true purpose.”
“True purpose.” Paul reflected on General Hammond’s offer. It meant safety. Security. A pay raise.
If they survived the next few hours, he would be a fool to turn it down.
P3Y-702/KUNLUN/ELYSIUM PEDION
19 AUG 04/0615 HRS MCMURDO STATION
19 AUG 04/1315 HRS STARGATE COMMAND
Sam flicked on her P90’s tactical flashlight, raking the light across the dark chamber. Silver curlicues were etched into the marble floor. A row of columns lined the far wall. “This looks familiar.”
She stepped inside, aiming her light toward the center of the room. There it was, an exact duplicate of the Antarctica terra-forming platform.
And the one in their shared vision.
Using her free hand, Sam pulled out her scanner.
Daniel joined her. “Anything?”
She thumbed on the display. The meter barely budged. “Less than 0.3 micro-Sieverts. Most likely, from background radiation.” She turned toward the general and held up her scanner. “No considerable photonic radiation, sir.”
“Good thing, too. I forgot my sunscreen,” the general said from the doorway. “Come on, Huang. Get ahead of me.”
Huang clasped Daniel’s cup to his chest. “You do not trust me at your back, O’Neill?”
“Not really.” The general waved his P90 toward the chamber’s interior. “Step in, nice and easy.”
As the two men entered the chamber a blue light flashed brightly and then settled down into a soft glow. A low pulse thrummed through the chamber, amplified by the marble floor and stone walls.
“Shouldn’t that be glowing red?” Daniel pointed toward the control crystal.
“It’s dormant.” Sam approached, her scanner still unable to pick up any unusual radiation. Intact, the crystal was a darker red because it wasn’t active, but it was right where it should be. Smack in the middle, with an empty bracket on either side.
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